MCP Server Explorer · Copilot Ready

Browse, manage, and import/export MCP (Model Context Protocol) server configurations from a unified sidebar — no JSON editing required. Fully integrated with GitHub Copilot.

Features

• Unified Sidebar View — See all MCP servers from both User Profile and Workspace configs in one tree view
• Add Servers via UI — Guided multi-step flow to add stdio, HTTP, or SSE servers without editing JSON
• Remove Servers — Right-click to remove a server from its config file
• Edit in Config — Jump directly to the server's position in mcp.json
• Import / Export — Share server configurations between machines or team members via JSON files
• Copy to Clipboard — Quickly copy a single server's config for sharing
• Dashboard — At-a-glance summary of server counts by type and scope
• Live Reload — Tree auto-refreshes when mcp.json files change on disk

Copilot Integration

• @mcp-explorer Chat Participant — Manage servers directly from Copilot Chat
• /list — Show all configured servers with status and tool counts
• /add <description> — Add a server using natural language (e.g., "add Playwright for browser testing")
• /diagnose <name> — Run a full diagnostic on a server — config validation, tool registration, LLM-powered analysis
• /suggest — Get personalized MCP server recommendations based on your workspace
• /share [name] — Generate formatted server config for sharing in README or Slack
• Describe with Copilot — When adding servers via the + button, choose "Describe with Copilot" to generate config from plain English
• Language Model Tool — Exposes mcpServerExplorer_getServerStatus so other Copilot agents can query your MCP server status

Where are MCP configs stored?

Getting Started

1. Install the extension
2. Click the MCP Server Explorer icon in the activity bar (sidebar)
3. Your existing MCP servers will appear automatically
4. Use the + button to add new servers, or Import to bring in configs from a file

Commands

Import/Export Format

Exported files use this structure:

{
  "mcpServerExplorer": "1.0",
  "servers": {
    "github": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp"
    },
    "playwright": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@microsoft/mcp-server-playwright"]
    }
  }
}

Requirements

• VS Code 1.95.0 or later
• GitHub Copilot extension (for chat participant and LM features)

License

MIT